Spanish colonial era The area of now Misamis Occidental was first occupied by the
Subanen people, who were followed by the
Maranao, and later the
Visayans, who settled in the coastal areas. During the 1750s, coastal villages in southern
Luzon,
Visayas, and
Mindanao suffered attacks from bands of Muslim pirates, who burned houses and crops, and captured people to be sold as slaves in
Maguindanao,
Sulu,
Borneo, or the islands now known as
Indonesia. In response, the colonial government in Manila created a
flotilla and appointed a Spanish
Jesuit missionary, José Ducos, as its commander. After several successful battles against the pirates and when some peace had been restored, it was decided to build a stone fort at the mouth of Panguil Bay, at a place called
Misamis, and Ducos was put in charge of the construction. The construction began in 1756. It was officially called “
Fuerte de la Concepción y del Triunfo”. File:Philippine territorial map 1880 MINDANAO.PNG|alt=Mindanao map in 1880 showing Misamis|in 1880 File:Misamis 1899.JPG|alt=Misamis map in 1899|in 1899 File:Misamis province 1918 map.JPG|alt=Misamis map in 1918|in 1918 In 1818, Mindanao was organized into five politico-military districts, one of which was the
Segundo Distrito de Misamis, the largest district in Mindanao. This area was composed of today's Misamis Occidental,
Misamis Oriental,
Camiguin,
Bukidnon,
Lanao del Norte,
Lanao del Sur,
Zamboanga del Norte, and the northern parts of
Zamboanga del Sur and
Cotabato. In 1850, the town of Misamis became the capital of the district of Misamis until February 27, 1872, when the Spanish
Governor General Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada issued a
decree declaring
Cagayan the permanent capital of Segundo Distrito de Misamis. During this era, the name of the town was
Cagayan de Misamis. Undivided Misamis had 3 pure Spanish-Filipino civilian families and 35 mixed Spanish-Filipino Mestizo civilian families. It was also fortified and colonized by 100 Spanish soldiers.
American colonial era On November 2, 1929,
Legislative Act No. 3537 passed, dividing the old province of
Misamis into Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental, which took effect on January 1, 1930. Misamis Occidental comprised the original nine towns of
Baliangao,
Lopez Jaena,
Tudela,
Clarin,
Plaridel,
Oroquieta,
Aloran,
Jimenez, and Misamis. Don
José Ozámiz y Fortich became the first governor. On January 6, 1930, the provincial council of Misamis Occidental selected Oroquieta to become the capital town (
cabecera) of the province. In 1935, the Provincial Capitol Building, commonly called as the
Capitolio, begun construction and became the seat of executive and legislative power of the province in the town of Oroquieta.
Japanese occupation On May 6, 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Misamis Occidental, beginning their brief occupation of the province during
World War II. In 1945, combined American and
Philippine Commonwealth forces liberated the province, and with the help of the recognized guerilla units, defeated the Japanese forces. During World War II, Oroquieta became the capital of the
Free Philippines with the Capitolio serving as the seat of government of the Free Philippines. The United States Forces in the Philippines under Colonel
Wendell Fertig. which was based in Misamis Occidental, was the rallying point for the guerrillas in Mindanao. This was historically significant because it is the only time in Philippine history when its capital was in Mindanao, in the region then known as Misamis. The Free Philippine Government was then issuing Misamis Occidental emergency notes. Late
President Manuel L. Quezon, upon knowing that Oroquieta was made a capital of the Free Philippines and that the town was issuing emergency notes, authorized the printing of the Mindanao emergency note.
Postwar Era On July 16, 1948 — the town of Misamis became a chartered city by virtue of
Republic Act 321, making it the 4th city in Mindanao after
Zamboanga,
Davao, and
Marawi. It was also renamed to
Ozamiz after
José Ozámiz y Fortich, Misamis Occidental's first governor who later served as the congressional representative of the Lone District of Misamis Occidental, a senator of the Philippines, and a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention that resulted in the creation of the
1935 Constitution for the Philippine Commonwealth Government.
During the Marcos dictatorship The late 1960s in Mindanao saw a rise in land dispute conflicts arising from the influx of settlers from Luzon and Visayas, and from the
Marcos administration’s encouragement of militia groups. News of the 1968
Jabidah massacre ignited a furor in the Moro community, and ethnic tensions encouraged with the formation of secessionist movements, starting from the largely political
Muslim Independence Movement and
Bangsamoro Liberation Organization, and eventually the
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Many of them left schools in Manila and joined
New People's Army units in their home provinces, bringing the
New People's Army rebellion to Mindanao for the first time. The September 1972 declaration of Martial Law began a 14-year period historically remembered for
its human rights abuses, often involving the warrantless detention, murder, and physical, sexual, or mental torture of political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. These were often attributed to
military-endorsed Militias - including a number of armed cult groups - which were used to enhance the military's numbers as it fought various resistance movements. On August 24, 1981 marked a particularly bloody incident in Misamis Occidental history, when members of a fanatical pseudo-religious paramilitary sect called the "Rock Christ" strafed the house of the Gumapons, a
Subanon family, in Barrio Lampasan, Tudela, Misamis Occidental. Ten of the twelve persons in the house, including an infant, were killed.
Contemporary In May 2010, the people of Misamis Occidental elected their first female governor, Herminia M. Ramiro. In September 2024, the
Panguil Bay Bridge was opened, connecting the province to
Lanao del Norte, allowing easier and faster access to the other provinces of
Northern Mindanao. ==Geography==